Over End Take-Off equipment is used to unwind strands of material that have been pre wound onto cores. The pre-wound cores are called packages. Over End Take-Off equipment unwinds a strand by taking it off over the end of the package. The Over End Take-Off equipment then feeds the unwound strand to downstream equipment.
During the unwinding process, the strand experiences friction as it is being taken off. As a strand is being taken off, the strand may also experience adhesive and/or cohesive forces that stick the strand to the underlying material of the package. Due to friction and sticking forces, the strand resists being taken off over the end of the package. As a result of this resistance, during the unwinding, the strand may experience high tension and/or variable tensions, which make reliable processing more difficult.
Further, as a strand is being taken off, portions of the strand may encounter sticking forces that are quite large, when compared to the strength of the strand. When the strand is taken off over the end of the package, the strand is pulled across the side of the package. When the strand is pulled across the side of the package, the tension in the strand attempts to overcome the sticking forces by shearing the stuck portion away from the side. However, in this mode, the strand may experience a high tension that breaks the strand, resulting in downtime for the equipment.